Saints Cyril
& Methodius
Bulgarian
Orthodox Mission
January 15, 2012
31st
SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST — Tone 6 Ven. Paul of Thebes (341) and John Calabytes
“the Hut-dweller” - (5th c.). Ven. Pansophius of Alexandria, Martyr (ca. 249-251). Ven. Prochorus, Abbot, in the Vranski desert on the River Pshina
in Bulgaria (10th c.). Ven. Gabriel,
founder of Lesnovo Monastery in Bulgaria (11th
c.).
Venerable
Anthony the Great
(Commemorated January 17, +356 A.D.)
We are a Parish
of the
Orthodox Church
in America
Archdiocese of
Washington
Our website is ® www.bocdc.org
The Mission’s services are being hosted through the
gracious support of:
Fr. John Vitko and the parishioners of St. Luke
Orthodox Church
6801 Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA 22101
Annual Parish Meeting
According to our bylaws, our Annual Parish Meeting is to be held on the
last Sunday in January. So, the meeting
will take place after the Divine Liturgy on January 29.
†
May Their Memory Be Eternal †
The Bishops
Nestor, Gregory, and Job;
the
Priests Peter, Ishmael, Michael, Leo, Homer, Thomas, Victor, and Milorad;
the
Matushki Mary, Platonida,
Sophronia, Artemis, and Barbara;
the
Readers Philemon, John, and Robert Michael; and
the
Servants of God, Linda, Bojanka, Magdalena,
Julia, Rada, Radka, Anna, Olivera, Krustio, George, and
Maria.
Those Who Are In
Need of Prayer
The Priests
Photius, Anthony, Vadim,
Thomas, Paul, and Joseph;
the
Presbyteras, Marie, Miriam, Mica, Helen, Rose,
Juliana, & Anne;
the Servants
of God, Zell, Flora, Karen, Victor, Erin, Kyriaki,
Helen, Paulina, Jane, Denny, Oliver, Marion, Ellen, Marios
& Sophia, Alexandra & Joseph, Catherine & Wayne, John & Carmeta, John & Carol, Dimitri
& Rachael, Charlie & Karen, Chariessa &
Nicholas, and David & Patricia.
Schedule of Services
Jan. 15 – SS Cyril & Methodius, 1:30
– Welcome, Father Mark Kozak.
Jan. 22 – at St. Mark Church, 9:30
Jan. 29 – SS Cyril & Methodius,
1:30: ANNUAL
PARISH MEETING
Feb. 5 – at St. Mark Church, 9:30
Feb. 12 – SS Cyril & Methodius,
1:30: Blessing of 2012 Parish Council
Feb. 19 – at St. Mark Church, 9:30
Feb. 26 – SS Cyril & Methodius, 1:30
The Life of St. Anthony the Great, born 251 A.D.
Saint Anthony the Great is known
as the Father of monasticism. He was
born in Egypt in the village of Coma, near the desert of the Thebaid, in the year 251. His parents were pious Christians
of illustrious lineage. Anthony was a serious child and was respectful and
obedient to his parents. He loved to attend church services, and he listened to
the Holy Scripture so attentively, that he remembered what he heard all his
life.
When
St Anthony was about twenty years old, he lost his parents, but he was
responsible for the care of his younger sister. Going to church about six
months later, the youth reflected on how the faithful,in the Acts of the Apostles (4:35), sold their
possessions and gave the proceeds to the Apostles for the needy.
Then
he entered the church and heard the Gospel passage where Christ speaks to the
rich young man: "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and
give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow
Me" (Mt.19:21). Anthony felt that these words applied to him. Therefore,
he sold the property that he received after the death of his parents, then
distributed the money to the poor, and left his sister in the care of pious
virgins in a convent.
Leaving
his parental home, St Anthony began his ascetical life in a hut not far from
his village. By working with his hands, he was able to earn his livelihood and
also alms for the poor. Sometimes, the holy youth also visited other ascetics
living in the area, and from each he sought direction and benefit. He turned to
one particular ascetic for guidance in the spiritual life.
In
this period of his life St Anthony endured terrible temptations from the devil.
The Enemy of the race of man troubled the young ascetic with thoughts of his
former life, doubts about his chosen path, concern for his sister, and he
tempted Anthony with lewd thoughts and carnal feelings.
Realizing
that the devil would undoubtedly attack him in another manner, St Anthony
prayed and intensified his efforts. Anthony prayed that the Lord would show him
the path of salvation. And he was granted a vision. The ascetic beheld a man, who
by turns alternately finished a prayer, and then began to work.
St
Anthony tried to accustom himself to a stricter way of life. He partook of food
only after sunset, he spent all night praying until
dawn. Soon he slept only every third day. But the devil would not cease his
tricks, and trying to scare the monk, he appeared under the guise of monstrous
phantoms. The saint however protected himself with the Life-Creating Cross.
Finally the Enemy appeared to him in the guise of a frightful looking black child,
and hypocritically declaring himself beaten, he thought he could tempt the
saint into vanity and pride.
For
even greater solitude, St Anthony moved farther away from the village, into a
graveyard. He asked a friend to bring him a little bread on designated days, then shut himself in a tomb.
St
Anthony's staunchness was greater than the wiles of the Enemy. Taking the form
of ferocious beasts, the devils tried to force the saint to leave that place,
but he defeated them by trusting in the Lord. Looking up, the saint saw the
roof opening, as it were, and a ray of light coming down toward him. The demons
disappeared and he cried out, "Where have You
been, O Merciful Jesus? Why didn't You appear from the
very beginning to end my pain?" The
Lord replied, "I was here, Anthony, but wanted to see your struggle. Now,
since you have not yielded, I shall always help you and make your name known
throughout all the world." After this vision St
Anthony was healed of his wounds and felt stronger than before. He was then
thirty-five years of age.
Having
gained spiritual experience in his struggle with the devil, St Anthony
considered going into the Thebaid desert to serve the
Lord. He asked the Elder (to whom he had turned for guidance at the beginning
of his monastic journey) to go into the desert with him.
St
Anthony went into the desert alone. The devil tried to hinder him, by placing a
large silver disc in his path, then gold, but the
saint ignored it and passed by. He found an abandoned fort on the other side of
the river and settled there, barricading the entrance with stones. His faithful
friend brought him bread twice a year, and there was water inside the fort.
St
Anthony spent twenty years in complete isolation and constant struggle with the
demons, and he finally achieved perfect calm. The saint's friends removed the
stones from the entrance , and they went to St Anthony
and besought him to take them under his guidance. Soon St Anthony's cell was
surrounded by several monasteries, and the saint acted as a father and guide to
their inhabitants, giving spiritual instruction to all who came into the desert
seeking salvation. He increased the zeal of those who were already monks, and
inspired others with a love for the ascetical life. He told them to strive to
please the Lord, and not to become faint-hearted in their labors. He also urged
them not to fear demonic assaults.
In
the year 311 there was a fierce persecution against Christians, in the reign of
the emperor Maximian. Wishing to suffer with the holy
martyrs, St Anthony left the desert and went to Alexandria. He openly
ministered to those in prison, he was present at the
trial and interrogations of the confessors, and accompanying the martyrs to the
place of execution. At the close of the
persecution, the saint returned to the desert and continued his exploits. The
Lord granted the saint the gift of wonderworking, casting out demons and
healing the sick by the power of his prayer. The great crowds of people coming
to him disrupted his solitude, and he went off still farther, into the inner
desert where he settled atop a high elevation. But the brethren of the
monasteries sought him out and asked him to visit their communities.
St
Anthony spent eighty-five years in the solitary desert. Shortly before his
death, he told the brethren that soon he would be taken from them. The saint instructed two of his disciples,
who had attended him in the final fifteen years of his life, to bury him in the
desert and not in Alexandria. He left one of his monastic mantles to St
Athanasius of Alexandria (January 18), and the other to St Serapion
of Thmuis (March 21). St Anthony died peacefully in
the year 356, at age 105, and he was buried in the desert by his disciples.
The Life of St Anthony the Great was written by St Athanasius of
Alexandria. This is the first biography of a saint who was not a martyr. "These things are insignificant compared
with Anthony's virtues," writes St Athanasius, "but judge from them
what the man of God Anthony was like. From his youth until his old age, he kept
his zeal, he did not give in to the desire for costly foods because of his age,
nor did he alter his clothing because of the infirmity of his body. He did not
even wash his feet with water. He remained very healthy, and he could see well
because his eyes were sound and undimmed. Not one of his teeth fell out, but
near the gums they had become worn due to his advanced age. He remained strong
in his hands and feet.... He was spoken of everywhere, and was admired by everyone,
and was sought even by those who had not seen him, which is evidence of his
virtue and of a soul dear to God."
In
the year 544 the relics of St Anthony the Great were transferred to Alexandria, and after the conquest of Egypt by the Saracens
in the seventh century, they were transferred to Constantinople. The holy
relics were transferred from Constantinople in the tenth-eleventh centuries to
a diocese outside Vienna. In the fifteenth century they were brought to Arles
(in France), to the church of St Julian.